| Summary: | Prey-base fishes. The small demersal fishes of the coastal wetlands are a keystone element in this ecosystem. They are the primary and secondary consumers of the plants mentioned above and they are the primary food resource for myriad piscine (e.g. game species of fish), reptilian (e.g. juvenile crocodiles) and avian (e.g. wading birds) predators. The community dynamics of these fishes are dictated by hydrologic and hydrographic parameters so they also respond predictably to water management practices. Because they are a bottle-neck in the food web, their abundance and availability dictate the success of higher trophic levels. Fish are sampled in June, September and monthly from November through April at five locations. A 9m2 drop trap designed specifically for this habitat are used to quantify fish use. Nine traps are used at each site. The research objectives for this Project are to: (1) continue systematic sampling of demersal fishes at four locations in the mainland dwarf mangrove habitats of southern Biscayne Bay; (2) continuously record salinity and depth patterns of the mangrove habitats at four locations using hydrostation from Remote Data Inc.; (3) link patterns of salinity and freshwater overland flow and groundwater sources (from objective 2) with the abundance, diversity, and distribution of demersal fishes in a the cumulative database (from objective 1); (4) link the results of the proposed fish surveys with the results of the surveys of shoreline fishes and epibenthic fishes and macroinvertebrates being conducted in the same areas to investigate potential correlations in relation to higher trophic levels.
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